U.S. conducts strike on al Shabaab, Somalia says training base destroyed

[Hamartia Antidote]

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-somalia-attack-idUSKBN1920RR


The Pentagon said it had carried out an air strike on al Shabaab in Somalia on Sunday, and Somalia said its special forces had joined in the attack to destroy one of the jihadist insurgent group's main training and command posts.

The office of President Mohamed Abdullahi said the base was located on Sakow, in the Middle Juba region in southern Somalia.

"Earlier today, I authorised our special forces with the support of our international partners to conduct a strike against an al Shabaab training camp near Sakow," his statement said.

"This was a successful strike that destroyed a key al Shabaab command and supply hub. This will ultimately disrupt the enemy’s ability to conduct new attacks within Somalia."

The statement did not specify the extent of damage or say if there had been casualties. There was no immediate comment from al Shabaab.

Since being pushed out of the capital Mogadishu in 2011, al Shabaab has lost control of most of Somalia's cities and towns. But it still retains a strong presence in swathes of the south and center and still carries out major gun and bomb attacks.

The group aims to topple Somalia's government, drive out African Union peacekeeping troops and impose its own harsh interpretation of Islamic law.

On Thursday, al Shabaab killed 59 people in an attack on a military base in the semi-autonomous Puntland region in northern Somalia.

 

[Gothic]

the US has no one to pick on in the midst of this Qatar / iran parlaiment media fiasco but the somali dunecoon pirates

 

[Somali-Turk]

alshabab terror should be a thing of the past.

 

[Yaseen1]

all false claims only they get pleasure from killing Muslims

 

[Aramagedon]

Just two days back US killed 80 Muslims:

Up to 80 civilians 'killed in US air strike' in Mosul, UN confirms

Human rights groups warn indiscriminate bombing of densely populated areas and use of heavy ordinance could amount to war crimes

Iraqi women walk past destroyed buildings south of Mosul on 26 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images

The UN’s human rights office has said that an initial investigation has confirmed that between 50 - 80 Iraqi civilians were killed in a recent US-led coalition bombing of Mosul, while hundreds more died at the hands of Isismilitants.

Strikes on 31 May were reported to have caused civilians deaths, but the death toll was not clear. Around 231 more people are thought to have died from Isis shelling, snipers and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) fleeing the west of the city at around the same time.

The UN is still seeking additional information, a statement said on Thursday.

News of the investigation emerges at the same time rights groups are stepping up calls for the coalition to do more to protect civilians in the fight to eliminate Isis from the last neighbourhoods of their Iraqi stronghold.

Heavy ordnance, such as 500 pound (227 kilogramme) air-delivered bombs, are causing excessive and disproportionate damage to civilian life and property, organisations including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the Centre for Civilians in Conflict warned in a report published Thursday.

The groups said the use of such weaponry - and the bombing of densely populated areas where civilians are used as human shields - could amount to war crimes.

US Central Command (CentCom) insists it “takes extraordinary efforts to strike military targets in a manner that minimises the risk of civilian casualties,” although “In some incidents casualties are unavoidable.”

The US-led coalition has admitted killing at least 484 civilians in air strikes in Syria and Iraq since the bombing campaign began in 2014.

Independent monitors say the death toll actually runs into the thousands, with transparency project Airwars claiming at least 3,800 civilians have been killed.

According to Airwars data there has been a 400 per cent increase in civilian casualties caused by US-led bombing since the twin assaults on Mosul and Raqqa in neighbouring Syria got underway last autumn.

US President Donald Trump promised on the election campaign trail to to focus his foreign policy on eliminating the group, and his administration has given the Pentagon greater executive control over anti-Isis military operations.

Defence Secretary James Mattis said last week that the US is “accelerating the tempo” of the fight against Isis and the battle has shifted from attrition to “annihilation tactics”.

Rights groups fear that this amounts to the lifting of some protections for civilian life.

Around 200,000 people are still trapped by jihadists in Mosul’s old city, running out of food and water and with scarce access to medical help.

Over the border in Syria, the battle for Isis’ de facto capital of Raqqa began in earnest this week.

At least 21 civilians died as families trying to escape the all-out attack were hit by US-led bombing and artillery fire on boats on the Euphrates River, both Syrian state media and opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Women and children were reportedly among the dead.

Around half of the city’s 220,000 population is expected to try and flee the coming fighting.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...ke-civilian-deaths-toll-bombing-a7782071.html

 

[Somali-Turk]

all false claims only they get pleasure from killing Muslims

this has nothing to do with muslims.we have muslim killing takfiri group called shabab terror that should be rooted out.this is what the majority of somalis want.we stand with US On this issue.they are a threat to our stability.

this has nothing to do with the thread.Mods should delete this.

Just two days back US killed 80 Muslims:

Up to 80 civilians 'killed in US air strike' in Mosul, UN confirms

Human rights groups warn indiscriminate bombing of densely populated areas and use of heavy ordinance could amount to war crimes

Iraqi women walk past destroyed buildings south of Mosul on 26 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images

The UN’s human rights office has said that an initial investigation has confirmed that between 50 - 80 Iraqi civilians were killed in a recent US-led coalition bombing of Mosul, while hundreds more died at the hands of Isismilitants.

Strikes on 31 May were reported to have caused civilians deaths, but the death toll was not clear. Around 231 more people are thought to have died from Isis shelling, snipers and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) fleeing the west of the city at around the same time.

The UN is still seeking additional information, a statement said on Thursday.

News of the investigation emerges at the same time rights groups are stepping up calls for the coalition to do more to protect civilians in the fight to eliminate Isis from the last neighbourhoods of their Iraqi stronghold.

Heavy ordnance, such as 500 pound (227 kilogramme) air-delivered bombs, are causing excessive and disproportionate damage to civilian life and property, organisations including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the Centre for Civilians in Conflict warned in a report published Thursday.

The groups said the use of such weaponry - and the bombing of densely populated areas where civilians are used as human shields - could amount to war crimes.

US Central Command (CentCom) insists it “takes extraordinary efforts to strike military targets in a manner that minimises the risk of civilian casualties,” although “In some incidents casualties are unavoidable.”

The US-led coalition has admitted killing at least 484 civilians in air strikes in Syria and Iraq since the bombing campaign began in 2014.

Independent monitors say the death toll actually runs into the thousands, with transparency project Airwars claiming at least 3,800 civilians have been killed.

According to Airwars data there has been a 400 per cent increase in civilian casualties caused by US-led bombing since the twin assaults on Mosul and Raqqa in neighbouring Syria got underway last autumn.

US President Donald Trump promised on the election campaign trail to to focus his foreign policy on eliminating the group, and his administration has given the Pentagon greater executive control over anti-Isis military operations.

Defence Secretary James Mattis said last week that the US is “accelerating the tempo” of the fight against Isis and the battle has shifted from attrition to “annihilation tactics”.

Rights groups fear that this amounts to the lifting of some protections for civilian life.

Around 200,000 people are still trapped by jihadists in Mosul’s old city, running out of food and water and with scarce access to medical help.

Over the border in Syria, the battle for Isis’ de facto capital of Raqqa began in earnest this week.

At least 21 civilians died as families trying to escape the all-out attack were hit by US-led bombing and artillery fire on boats on the Euphrates River, both Syrian state media and opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Women and children were reportedly among the dead.

Around half of the city’s 220,000 population is expected to try and flee the coming fighting.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...ke-civilian-deaths-toll-bombing-a7782071.html

https://twitter.com/x/status/873875919483670529